The Secret to Balancing CFA Studies and Work

@Patty, sometimes it may seem quite impossible, but just sitting down figuring out a routine and explaining it to your family that things are gonna be a little more rigid for a while will help.

Are there any suggestions on how to balance CFA, LSAT, and GMAT? With the assumptions that I workout out for 5 hours a week and I work 80 to 100 hours (including most Saturdays and some of Sunday). I fortunately was able to cram for CFA Level 1, but I have heard the CFA Level 2 is significantly more difficult.

You should try it when you have a very very unsupportive company to work for, that would rather you be working 8am to 10pm if you could… I’m not letting them know *at all* that I’m doing the CFA, as they’d probably sack me if they thought I was training for something that “wouldn’t benefit them”. Hence why I do 3 to 4 hours a night after the kids have gone to bed…

Ando how do you do it if you work 8 hours a day and have 2 kids???????

Maverick said:

You should try it when you have a very very unsupportive company to work for, that would rather you be working 8am to 10pm if you could… I’m not letting them know *at all* that I’m doing the CFA, as they’d probably sack me if they thought I was training for something that “wouldn’t benefit them”. Hence why I do 3 to 4 hours a night after the kids have gone to bed…

That sounds horrible. I hope they pay you really well! If not, maybe its time to change employers…

Poor you @maverick!

They pay me terribly in all fairness and it’s another reason I want out! I’m fed up of having presentations given by major imvestment institutions and being the only one actively going and asking questions and asking them to quantify their statements afterwards.
#surroundedbyjokers!!

Errrrmmmm… YES! Seriously @Sophie‌.
The problem I have is that I don’t have a degree (A whole different story!), so I don’t find that I’m taken seriously and probably won’t be until I complete the CFA.

(… and yes, I know that I meant “qualify”, not “quantify” their statements in the last post). Just spotted the issue in terminology. 🙂 

Hi @Patty, yes that’s tough but can be done. Do you have a separate work/study room that you can study in? That would help teach your children to know that if you’re in the room studying and you’re not to be disturbed.

Can you do squeeze in 1-2 hours on weeknights when they are asleep, to give you some time to spend with your family on the weekend? How about lunch break at work? Do you have more details? It’s all about analysing your schedule and setting up a routine that your family understands.

I hope this helps.

Thank you Sophie for this article.
Having made an unsuccessful attempt at the level 1 exam last June, I can relate to your plan very well. I say I got the first part about Managing Expectations very well. But, it was the Study Plan that went all wrong.
However, I hope to use this plan as a starting point for next June.
Thanks once again and keep up the good work!

ouch @Jtennis, it’s gonna be tough. @Zee is right, the working hours is the one that drains you, and by the end of the day/week, all you need is sleep, not studying. You could sit down, but nothing will go in (I’ve tried this with similar hours, probably closer to 80 hours than 100 hours and it doesn’t work).

@adeeltaufiq‌ – never, ever give up! 🙂 

What should be the exact duration of a cfa course?????

@Patty, I forgot to mention that I started another thread on work/life balance a few weeks ago, quite some good tips from the community there.

Job hunting on the horizon then @Maverick!